Been working as a foster with this shelter but I'm going to look for other shelters to help out the animals after my current foster. They really treat fosters like "oh, extra places to dump the animals". They also change the foster pick up time without considering our schedule at all (they don't read our emails thoroughly, and they once picked a day which I specifically told them I'm not available) and just expect us to be available 24/7. When I tried to tell them I can't pick up my foster animal right now but few days later, they snapped at me. They told me the one I wanted to foster wasn't on a deadline in one of the previous emails, so I asked them why it's impossible to try to take the animal on a different day. Then they said "oh, I copy + pasted the last week's note on that animal. Now it's on a deadline". I made changes in my schedule to pick up & save the animal the next day. Then...the next day, the day I was supposed to pick up the animal, they told me the animal was "rescued", and asked me to foster different one on the list". Like...do your job properly first, before you just snap at your fosters and treat us like that. I have a job and I can't just change my schedule whenever and however the shelter wants. We are volunteers, not your minions. My prev. foster animal's adopter has also told me the shelter sent her the addendum (the animal's behavioral / health issues and such) AFTER she signed the adoption contract & paid the adoption fee. It absolutely should have been BEFORE the potential adopters sign the final adoption contract and pay the fee. I already told my foster animal's adopter about the animal's quirks and all via emails + when we met before she adopted my foster animal so it was fine, but why is the shelter being so shady like this to the potential adopters & rude to the fosters? I felt like the shelter was trying to scam the adopter. Their foster management is just straight up horrible. I'm going to highly recommend people to foster/adopt animals in other shelters. read more

I've read a few other reviews with low rankings and although I'm not calling them liars, I can't believe it. My experience at APA has been nothing short of AMAZING! My daughter and I (plus her friend) went this past Saturday to "window shop" for a dog. Yes they have a lot of pit bulls but if you know anything about dogs you know they are the main dogs to get treated improperly or abandoned. Does it smell, yes...but ummm what dog do you know in a shelter that showers himself daily? Let's be realistic people! We found two smaller dogs and after staff review, we found that they were not a good fit for a home with kids. I had NEVER been to a shelter before that knew so much about their animals, or tried to examine their interaction with other dogs on site to see how they are. Normally it's just throw em in a cage, try to get em adopted and if not, put them down! Not at APA! We went on a second stroll and BOOM there he was, this sweet lab/German shepherd mix. Didn't bark, seemed calm, we had to take him out! After our play date I knew I wanted him but had to get approval from the boss (my wife). I knew he wouldn't stay there much longer as he had just come from a shelter in Houston a few days prior. I asked for a hold and yup 24hr hold just for us! Came back Sunday for another play date, the staff told us different training tricks and informed us of the lifetime behavior "warranty" if we ever needed assistance. We adopted the dog and BOOM took him home! From start to finish I loved it! The staff are true animal lovers and i loved that! But wait there's more! My dog ended up having a shut eye 4 days later and I didn't know why. I emailed their medical team as I began driving back to them. They replied within 5min!!!!! Got him there and he was seen, treated, no charge and back to the house we went! I've never seen something like APA! If you love animals this is the place for you! Wish there were more like it! Only semi negative was that they don't have any kind of program for active duty military. But hey take my 160, it was worth it for my drewski!!!!! (Andrew) read more

Austin Pets Alive! - Animal Shelters Near Me - Austin, Texas

THANK YOU, APA, for rescuing my sweet son! My partner and I are fairly new to Austin by way of NYC and knew we wanted to bring a dog into our lives now that we have a yard to do so. APA had been on our radar for a few months but we weren't quite ready to commit. I signed up to receive emails from them and one Sunday so happened to see an email about their "Dog N Dash" program. I rarely see an email right as it comes in, but very luckily saw this one, and felt like magic might take place. For those of you unfamiliar with Dog N Dash, you fill out an application to be a foster parent (if you haven't already) and go and pick up a dog sight unseen. When I pulled up, out they brought the most gorgeous little blue pitbull and it was truly love at first sight. Four days after picking him up as a foster, my partner and I officially adopted him and couldn't be any happier. Zeno (formerly Bolt) was rescued by APA from a shelter in Dallas where he was scheduled to be put down due to having Parvo. APA nursed him back to health and I'm usually not so sappy, but I really believe he was meant to be part of our family. He has brought us more joy than I could have ever imagined; I wake up happy every day and with so much excitement to get downstairs to my sweet boy. Even with everything happening due to COVID19, they made the fostering and adoption process super simple and I'm really glad we didn't have to jump through thousands of hoops as I have had to do in the past with trying to adopt other animals. I am so grateful to APA for the work they do, saving all of these sweet babies so they have a chance at live and happiness. I also want to point out that APA was EXTREMELY responsive every time I reached out to them. The day we brought Zeno home as a foster, he had a gnarly cough and I emailed the fostering support chain they provided me with and someone responded within ten minutes telling me how to proceed. I then emailed their clinic as suggested, and received a response within an hour (on a Sunday evening) and medicine was ready for pickup the next day. Zeno also hadn't been neutered by the time we adopted him, and they made sure to help us get all of that scheduled through them, as that is a service they provide for all of the animals that come through. APA also provided us with his medical history, access to his microchip, and all of the pictures they had taken of him! I was floored with how thorough, responsive, and kind every aspect of the process was, especially for a shelter that is so busy and has so many animals to care for. read more

I've been to many shelters over the years. APA is by far the worst I've ever been to. I know not all shelter dogs are friendly and most are scared but the majority were just pathetic looking. Sad. Kennels were dirty and smelled terrible. I did choose a dog but they would allow me to adopt because the dog had sensitivity issues. Well if he card would have said that I wouldn't have wasted my time waiting around to meet her. The whole trip was a bad experience. read more

This was our worst experience in my wife's and my in our 32 years together. We started the adoption process on a dog, "Pickle" we saw on the APA site on 12/26. We drove from Round Rock to the Town Lake Adoption Center for APA and filled out applications, met with interviewers, met the dog, really liked him and wanted to take him home. We were told since we currently had a dog, a Chiweenie, we would need to bring her down to meet Pickle. We were to be contacted in a couple of days for the second meeting. On 12/27 I contacted APA via email and received a response, the Dog Manager needed to be engaged. I responded asking to let us know the next steps. After sending repeated emails and no response, we went back to APA on the afternoon of 12/29 and within two minutes we found out "Pickel" was adopted by someone who came in on 12/27 after we did and took him home that day. Needless to say we were floored on how this could happen. Every person we talked to including the manager tried to write this off as "mis-communication" and tried to tell us WE must have not done something correctly. We did exactly what their staff told us to do. Not once did the manager say sorry, try to console my wife or offer to help us locate another dog. My wife is still crying, heartbroken over this after leaving APA. read more

Absolutely worst place to adopt a pet. The place is locked up like a prison and won't allow anyone in without an appointment. Appointments are near impossible to make because that option is not in their website and they never answer phones. No wonder these animate sitting in there with no chance of being adopted. read more

This place does not deserve one star. They were very disrespectful and do not seem to care for the dogs they care about money. Going to adopt at Austin animal center at least they don't charge a fee, they give you the animal for free. They talk about not buying pure breeds but they sell their dogs . I rather buy a dog that won't attack me. Unlike this shelter which is full of aggressive breeds I almost got attacked by one of their shelter dogs. Ridiculous!! read more

They badly need an operations person, a reality check, a dose of humble, and some flexibility. If you want to get animals adopted and not simply feel self important like the DOT, let people show up and pet them. read more

APA is such an incredible organization for so many reasons. This is the largest non-kill shelter in the whole country, it's largely volunteer based and everyone is both informative and helpful. They build in-depth profiles of all the animals they shelter and are very serious about making sure that you are the right fit for which ever companion you inquire about. I adopted my first dog ever from them and I was so surprised with the amount of personal follow up emails asking how things are going, if I needed any (free) in house training etc. They hooked me up with a great check list on what to buy and a list of local vets where I get my first visit for free! read more

I came to tour the property and was left thankful for everything they do, if only it was funded more, bigger cages,play areas, and a larger staff were in existence. Through our support one day this will be a reality! read more

The staff are all super nice and sweet (except for a blonde reception lady who passive-aggressively said I should just email them because she'd seen me there "several times" but it was only my second time there lol). I was REALLY excited about a dog, and since their job is obviously to get dogs adopted, they didn't flat out tell me that he was aggressive. They explained his past incidents as reactionary to being surprised or cornered. Totally understandable, right? And when I met him at the shelter he was fine! I realize now that was only because of the amount of treats involved. We went through SO MANY treats during our introductions. Basically, they let me take home an aggressive dog, but because they pumped him up with treats all the time, I didn't see him like that. After meeting him a few times, I adopted him. I had him for about a week when he attacked someone in my home with no provocation. I reached out and they arranged for me to return him pretty quickly. When I went, they had to send someone who had previously handled him (due to his leash reactivity, another thing they sugar-coated) and he nearly attacked her. They had to send someone else. I wish they had been honest with me about the fact that I was adopting an aggressive dog, but I feel that they held back on telling me everything about him and ended up just wasting everyone's time/money in the process. I love what that this shelter stands for, but if their strategy for dealing with aggressive dogs is just placating and distracting them with treats and tricks, I think they're doing a huge disservice to everyone involved. read more

I just became a dog foster and had a very good experience with the application and interview process. Although APA is very busy and overwhelmed with applications, the whole process moved quickly and I was so excited to be approved! It's amazing that the majority of people who work with them are volunteers; something important to keep in mind. Once you are approved, you are provided a link to a Google Drive which lists the many dogs that need to be fostered, some immediately. Descriptions are provided, and they will usually have an additional bio on the APA website. Dogs range by breed and particular needs. I ended up fostering a dog that urgently needed to get out of the kennel on my first night after approval. I was amazed by the support I was provided and the thorough process to foster - behavior consult, medical consult, meeting with a worker to go over all other details. After all was said and done I walked out of there with my doggie in a little over 2-2:30 hours. I felt like I was given an overwhelming amount of information, but it may be that my particular dog has special needs. I always prefer more information to less therefor I know what I need to do! The staff was all helpful and clearly educated on the animals. Different staff has different responsibilities and skill sets and their trainers are world renowned!! Since mine was an urgent, possibly temporary situation, they provided me with a bunch of toys, treats, a few days worth of food, and chew toys for my boy Oliver. I'm not sure if this is common or not. They also gave me a leash and his harness and collar (he has a neurological disorder). I felt like I was set-up very nicely and had more than enough resources to get me through the first few days. His trainer and another volunteer gave me their numbers for ANY questions or concerns I had, 24/7. Wow! I have had such a great experience with APA and I am so happy to be able to save a dog, even if temporarily! The overall goal of fostering is to get the dog adopted, so you are expected to market your dog - taking pictures, providing more detail for their bio, and responding to adoption inquiries. while fostering a dog APA will provide all, if any, medications, medical appointments, behavioral training support, etc. You will need to transport your dog to and from appointments and marketing events. You will also be responsible for providing food, treats, a bed, and of course love and support! The APA environment is a very chaotic and stressful place, not by any fault of their own, but because there are SO many dogs in kennels with so many needs. Sometimes getting a dog or cat out of there, even if just for a short period of time, can be all they need to get back to their happy place. I highly recommend APA - whether fostering or adopting, this is a place that knows what they are doing and really cares! Also, APA has Dogs Playing For Life - an amazing program that has helped many dogs. Check it out! read more

The one star is a giant one - for the "said" intention of saving animals from being killed. The 4 stars lacking are due to unsuccessfully fulfilling the other parts of the mission, that of evaluating dogs well, properly matching animals with compatible homes, and treating those working/volunteering for the organization with respect. Unfortunately, if these other parts of the mission aren't accomplished, it can be as good as a death sentence for an animal, or at the very least a lot of suffering, grief, and heartache for fosters, adopters, and, unfortunately, the animals themselves. Others on this review site and in the community have commented that "APA does not adequately evaluate dogs for behavior problems..." (in many earlier posts by someone else). I've seen this firsthand, and have been through a traumatic experience where APA placed the dog I was fostering in a home that was incompatible, despite my direct input to the contrary. This is extremely frustrating, as all who know dogs understand that being placed in an incompatible home inevitably leads to issues. And since APA! is supposed to be there for the animals (and is subsidized by the community/tax payers), this is very disappointing, not to mention extremely frustrating as someone working for the organization as a foster volunteer dedicated to making sure a compatible home is found. My particular experience involved an adopter who was a "personal family friend" of the executive director of APA!, and unfortunately I was ignored and mistreated by the organization when I tried to remedy the situation for the sake of the dog (whom I love with all my heart and would do anything for, including be his guardian until a perfect home was found). As a foster, I volunteered months of love, energy, and time to help rehabilitate, socialize, and guide this young dog to be all he could be. He was integrated into my pack of two older dogs, and I helped him overcome his fear of everything - the leash, cars, other people, shadows, you name it. I helped get him past everything except being very upset when he felt like he was being left alone - he *really* did not like feeling lonely... I've had dogs for 17 years and have never encountered a dog with this level of separation anxiety... He also had the stride of a greyhound and loved to go for runs next to my bike (high energy and runs faster/farther than anyone I know can run; as a sensitive type dog, it was super easy to teach him, and necessary to get his energy out constructively). So, when APA! placed him with an adopter who doesn't run (or even walk - went 1 block while doing a walk outside their home to acquaint their dog with foster dog, and she had to get her phone out to see where she was!!!), wasn't willing to learn how to run him on a bike, and is a lower energy home, and where he'd be in a crate alone for 8 hours a day, I was completely dumbfounded...! They need to understand that it's not a judgement about a person or family when they are found to be incompatible for a dog. And they need to learn that getting the $ from an adoption is not the point. They also need to learn to fully respect the fosters and volunteers who are the individuals responsible for being the necessary link for "rescuing" animals; if a dog is placed in an incompatible home, then the animal isn't fully "rescued" and will actually likely suffer in other ways, sometimes greatly. I think about that amazingly wonderful foster dog every day, wonder how he's doing, if he's getting what he needs as an individual - I will regret forever that I didn't advocate for him enough and refuse to allow him to be placed in a home that was incompatible. Unfortunately, the adopter has chosen to interpret my concern for this dog as something personal about/against her, so she won't even let us meet for a play date): I caution anyone considering fostering for APA! - there are lots of other rescue orgs out there, and next time I'll definitely go with another org that isn't willing to betray the people who work for them and the dogs they're supposed to be helping. I know there are many dedicated volunteers working with APA! - I was one of them, but there is a serious problem at some level/s that need to be changed to avoid heartache of people like me, of those who experience repercussions of incompatible adoptions, and of the animals for whom they're responsible. read more

We chose to adopt a puppy from APA because of their positive reputation in Austin. We also chose APA because they provide behavioral information on their animals and only adopt out animals that are spayed/neutered. This is where things did not go to plan. When we adopted our puppy (5mo old at the time) we were told that we was neutered. A few months later after returning from a trip we noticed a difference in our puppy. Rather, two very large differences. I immediately contacted APA and the response I received was, "He is listed in (our records) as being neutered but we did not do it on site. It is possible that his paperwork said he was neutered when he wasn't." Apparently, after receiving a healthy dog and in their haste to get rid of it they never bothered to confirm whether the dog was neutered. After we faxed APA our vet evaluation showing our puppy was not neutered they agreed to neuter him free of charge. When we arrived on the day of the scheduled surgery they had no paperwork showing that the surgery was scheduled. One of the employees asked a person in an office about our puppy and the response was, "I don't know what's going on with that dog." Later that day when I picked up our dog after surgery to the tasteful greeting of, "don't worry your dog doesn't have testicles anymore," he was brought out and was very hyper. They did not have an e-collar on him, and therefore he had already aggravated the area. They checked him out, told me that he had a hematoma, and then sent me on my way with little instruction on how to handle this poor, post-op puppy. Ultimately, we needed to go to our vet and pay for antibiotics. I realize that APA is a non-profit organization and they are doing the best they can to provide animals with homes as quickly as possible. There are probably many more positive stories than the bad experience we had. I would have liked to provide this feedback to someone in charge, but after emailing with four different people and APA not having an actual phone line, I'm left to this medium to provide them feedback. The communication at this organization must improve and I strongly recommend any potential adopters to take caution before adopting a pet from APA. read more

Austin Pets Alive has a noble mission, but in my experience, doesn't follow through on it well at all! The place itself looks like it's about to fall down as well. They put out a call for foster parents while the Colorado River was rising: they are right on the banks. So I went and got a lovely foster cat, 12 years old, very sweet and loving. From the beginning, she had health issues. She had vomiting and diarrhea, she was drinking enormous amounts of water (signs of a kidney infection or diabetes), and was very lethargic. I emailed APA and they wanted me to bring in a stool sample, even though the diarrhea had stopped. I couldn't get the cat in to be looked at. A couple of weeks ago she began peeing and sometimes pooing outside the litter box (kept scrupulously clean) in the corners of the room. I changed the kind of litter I used, and the problem continued. I was finally allowed to take her in to their clinic. I carefully described all that had happened, her symptoms, and what I'd done. I said I thought she had a kidney infection or diabetes because she was drinking so much water. I said she needed to be observed for all the symptoms and tested for a UTI, kidney infection, and diabetes, as well as her lethargy. I was in floods of tears because I'd become very attached to this cat and wanted to keep her. I told her I couldn't take her back until her health problems were resolved. I cried all the way home. Not 3 hours later, I received a group email from APA. My cat was listed as needing a foster home and she had "behavioral issues" with the litter box!!! There was no mention of her needing medicine or special care! I was completely dumbfounded. They'd totally dismissed my input (I'd cared for her for 10 weeks!), had not observed her, and were just farming her out again, without proper care! Now I deeply regret that I didn't just take her to my own vet! I would not recommend trying to deal with APA at all. My experience has shown me that they don't seem to be interested in the health and well-being of their animals. I wouldn't wish my experience on any foster care animal or care-giver! read more

I have finally arrived in this city...I'm a proud MotherFoster for the APA. That doesn't mean that I can't comment on how wonderful the staff , & volunteers, are. From the time that you "raise your hand" to foster a dog, they assist in the advertisement of that dog, accommodations at the various sites (in front of all PetSmarts, at South Congress, etc.), and of course the medical treatment for the pets. They do not make it hard to care for the hard-up. APA isn't turning away animals who have the hardest of situations, to those who seem to have the misfortune of being born of a certain breed. Whether it be parvo, mange, or just being born a Rottie, or partially Pit Bull-esque. I was lucky to have my dog for a long time. Helping to save other animals, seeing the satisfaction of a successful adoptions, and the ease in which these transactions are made with the help of this wonderful organization...this is why we're known in Austin for keeping it weird. Because we consistently show we care in a world gone mad...weird. read more

If I were writing a review on my newly adopted shelter kitty, I would be giving 5 stars, because he's perfect! Unfortunately, the service at APA was atrocious. When I adopted this 8wk old kitten who'd been taken off of a euthanasia list the day before, I was given a hard time, told it "was a shame," that the kitten would be "bored, unhappy and destructive" because I wasn't also adopting his litter mate. I explained (which I shouldn't have had to) that I could only have 1 cat, but was still made to feel bad I didn't adopt his brother from the time I picked him out until I walked out the door, and this was by multiple girls working that evening on 10/8/15. I was told I HAD TO have him neutered there, not at a vet of my choice and was required to leave a $100 deposit until I returned to have him neutered at APA. On the day of his surgery, I was told to drop him off at 8a - no one showed at their clinic until 8:30a and I was late to work. I got a call 2 hours later (after his initial exam at the time of drop off) that he had been previously neutered. Halfway home from picking him up, I looked in his carrier to see his towel and nice toy I sent him in with were gone. I called to ask about our items and was told I shouldn't have put personal items in his carrier. So, not only was he without the comfort items all day, they were also stolen. I also asked if he had been put under anesthesia even tho no surgery was performed. She replied, "probably. Do you want me to check?" I did want her to check and luckily, according to her, he was not. While APA has a great mission and a tough job, they need some lessons in etiquette. I would have hoped to have been shown some appreciation for adopting a shelter kitty but was instead made to feel guilty, my time was wasted and I was ripped off. Really disappointed with this experience. read more

Yeah, I know. Let me explain. In February, my boyfriend told me that he was going to let me adopt a dog for my birthday. He even sent links to dogs at APA to my sister to see if she thought I would like them. How sweet. After browsing the site, I picked out 6-7 dogs I wanted to look at and I only had three requirements: 1) I DID NOT want a puppy. I wanted a dog that was 2-3 years old, or even older if the dog was a good fit. 2) The dog HAD TO be cat friendly, as I have two five year old cats that I've had since they were kittens. They come first. 3) The dog HAD TO be okay with small children. I have a 1 year old niece that visits about once a month or so and she loves dogs. She pets them very nicely and is very gentle, but some dogs just don't feel comfortable with small children, so that wouldn't work for us. Since my work schedule is so weird, John went to APA by himself to play with some of the dogs I selected. When John was asked what kind of dog he was looking for, and he mentioned the need for the dog to be cat and child friendly, we were told, in no uncertain terms, that we would have to adopt a puppy. What, because out of the hundreds of dogs y'all get a year, there are zero older dogs that have demonstrated in a foster environment that they are child and cat friendly? I don't think so. I find a puppy listed online that might be a good fit and John goes to visit the dog on his lunch break - except the website hasn't been updated yet and the dog is in an entirely different location. Luckily, it's just the South Congress location, so John rushes over to meet the dog for a few minutes. The dog is calm and seems friendly, so John decides to go back the next day to play with him longer. John asks about the application and we fill one out so that we can get the process started. When John brings in the application the next day, he is informed that they won't accept our application until we are ready to adopt a dog. Uhhh, what? We are going to adopt a dog, just not right that minute. Don't you want to make sure we're going to be good dog owners? Why can't I just have an application on file until I find the right dog for me? John just keeps the application and plays with the same puppy and he says the dog is calm and very friendly. No idea if he is cat or child friendly, but, since he's a puppy, we are told he "probably is." John then asks if he can turn in his application because he is interested in that dog. "Only if you are going to adopt him today." John is on his lunch break and can't just take the dog home right that minute. John asks if they can hold the dog for a few hours until he gets off work. "No." Seriously?! We are telling you we are going to take the dog, and you can't just hold him for us for all of three hours? He's not even at the main location, so it's not like he is taking up kennel space at APA right that second. And we are telling you we will pick him up before you close, so you don't even have to transport him back! John finds a way to make it happen and nobody even seems to look at our application. They give it a cursory glance and then hand us the dog. What's the point of filling it out if you're not doing anything with the information? The dog had ringworm and the person working gives us another dog's medication before John says something and she gives us the right medication. We get the dog home and find a way to quarantine him until the ringworm is done and oh, boy, remember how I said I did not want a puppy? Puppies require a lot of time and effort and I wanted a dog that already had a lot of these puppy issues out of the way. The dog was not house trained, he submissively urinates all the time, and he chews up so many things, including most of my succulents. He's house trained now and he mostly doesn't submissively urinate, but he'll still do it from time to time, even while playing. He still chews up so many things, despite having a multitude of chew toys he loves and being taken on walks multiple times a day AND being taken to an office to play with other dogs on a daily basis. He's also food and toy aggressive, but only with other dogs. If a person touches his food or takes a toy away from him, he doesn't care in the slightest. If a dog even gets near him, aggression. We're going to work with a trainer to help him get past that behavior, because that is unacceptable, but it would have been really nice if someone at APA had ensured that he was not aggressive with dogs around toys or food. And it's not every dog, either - sometimes he is okay if another dog takes his toy, but he is always aggressive with dogs around food. It is clear to me that they never let him play or eat around other dogs, or they would have seen these issues. I cannot in good conscience support an organization that does not properly vet dogs and is that unorganized and uncooperative during the adoption process. Sorry, Austin Pets Alive. read more

I'd give them 5 stars for what they try to do... but 3 stars at what they actually do.... Austin Pets Alive! is a great concept. Being that Austin is now a no kill city, we are becoming over run with dogs that are cast off by owners for whatever reason and surrendered to the shelters. Austin Pets Alive! does what they can to take in these dogs, asses them and find them homes. A+ on the effort. So why do I give them fewer stars? Because Austin Pets Alive! is the #1 rescue organization in Austin that is mislabeling and misrepresenting Pit Bulls and Staffordshires (English or American, take your pick) and sending them out into the general public to owners who assume them to be everything other than what they actually are. Just because a dog is black and white, does not make it a Border Collie nor does a black muzzle make it a cur. Training and behavior is based more on nature rather than nurture, and as such, training a dog as anything other than what it is will do very little to alter the ingrained breed specific behaviors. Any owner willing to own up to the fact that their dog is a Pit Bull will tell you their training is entirely different from that of a Border Collie. I understand that these dogs are admitted into shelters with specific paperwork and Austin Pets Alive! feels that they are by law required to leave the breed the same, but what's the harm in telling these potential owners that they are adopting a Pit Bull? And when they tell the owners these dogs are social with other dogs, it should be noted that these play groups are in small numbers and monitored by a behaviorist who is training them at the same time. This is the most ideal situation for a dog, it is not the dog park on a Saturday evening. Owners become more relaxed upon hearing the dog is social and do not take the necessary precautions to monitor their new dog as they should. The instead will go into a dog park for the first time and be shocked that their dog seems to be rougher player and may see some aggressive play they are not sure on how to deal with. Yes, all dogs deserve a second chance to find loving home, but being honest and upfront with these potential owners will go a lot farther than just moving the dogs out to make room to save another. It will bring better awareness to society about the breed and help in turning the breed back into what it once was before the bad press. read more

This review is not to discourage people from adopting, but to encourage Austin Pets Alive to do a better job training their volunteers and staff. We spent the last 48 hours interested in a seven-month-old puppy from the Town Lake location. We turned our workdays upside down to get our other dog there for a meet and greet. Left work early to submit our paperwork. And despite having asked three times previously if we should submit our application before looking at dogs, we were encouraged each time to bring our application once we knew for sure which dog we wanted. When we sat down to do the final paperwork, they suddenly had to have written proof from our landlord that we could adopt in order to process our application. This is despite the fact that I had previously adopted an animal from them. My landlord didn't have his phone turned on, so since they couldn't get a hold of him, we couldn't adopt the dog. Again, despite the fact that I had already adopted a dog from them a year earlier. If any one of those three volunteers just encouraged us to process our application first, we would've been able to get landlord approval in time and adopt that puppy. read more

What an absolutely amazing group of people - far reaching and widespread. Thank you to everyone who has made Austin achieving "no kill" an even bigger reality. THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS! I'm am always beyond ecstatic when I can donate goods here - either for APA! to use or to contribute to their garage sale and such. I find their efficiency and effectiveness very impressive considering the vast majority of people contributing to APA! can only do so part-time. Excellent job my friends - I love you. read more

Just to be clear, I have had zero experience with other adoption shelters buuuuut I have been impressed at every turn with my experience at APA. We originally began fostering for them and I was struck by their efficiency, indefatigable optimism, and generosity in how they communicate with potential fosterers. They have an incredible amount of resources to help fosterers and adopters. We ended up adopting the first dog we fostered (surprise surprise). The adoption process was painless and fast and the woman who went through it with us was professional but easy to talk to. There were also like...8 possible locations we could meet them at. It's like they thought of every possible hindrance to adopting and solved it for us. They've also recommended Emancipet, an amazing low-cost clinic which is run by the same group of people as APA. After we adopted our dog, we had some behavioral issues with her. APA has free one-on-one training for the lifetime of the dog. I would never be able to afford this otherwise but I am so grateful to our amazing dog trainer, Amy, and the generosity of APA for offering this resource. Again, I think it's incredible how they anticipate the needs of dogs and adopters and fulfill them in an accessible way. Our dog trainer Amy was professional, had a clear plan and reason for doing everything the way we did, and explained everything in a fun way. And the training worked! I highly recommend APA - consider fostering, volunteering, or adopting! read more

APA does not adequately evaluate dogs for behavior problems which includes aggressive tendencies. I adopted a little Chi/Pom 6 months ago. I soon found out that he had behavior issues and I hired a professional trainer who diagnosed him to be hypervigilant with leash aggression. He also has separation anxiety and nips at the legs of family members who leave the house. Our training is to try to minimize the dogs triggers. Unfortunately, triggers happen no matter how much I work to stop them. I cannot take the dog on leisure walks and I have to issue warnings to visitors to not pick up the dog and not to pat the dog. If I decide to keep the dog I will be spending my time with him trying to prohibit him from reaching his aggressive threshold. If you decided to adopt from APA I suggest you hire a professional trainer to diagnose the dogs temperment . That way, you know if it is trainable and you will not have to deal with the stress of deciding to return the dog back to APA. read more

I got my cats from APA months ago - I love them, of course, but I can't say I had a good experience with the APA itself. I found out about the two kitties because a friend of my boyfriend was fostering them. My roommate and I met the cats and decided they were a good fit for us so we called the APA, asked if it was OK to come down and do the paperwork and if we needed anything, they said yes and that we needed a photo ID. Sure thing. We drove all the way from north Austin to way South Austin. We filled out the paperwork. That's when the guy decided to tell us that we needed to pay our pet deposit at our apartment complex before adopting the cats. Thanks for telling me that when I specifically asked you if I needed anything. Now, some people might think that it's the APA's job to make sure I pay my pet deposit, but alas, it isn't. When and how I pay the fee is between me and my apartment manager, and I wasn't going to pay a $500 pet deposit before finding out if I could get the cats or not. So, having driven all the way down there for no reason, I figured I might as well get the paperwork out of the way. One of the questions was about what had been of your previous pets. I listed my previous pets and how they had passed (if they were dead), including a cat I'd had when I was younger that had been poisoned by a neighbor. Regarding that answer, I had the following exchange with the APA guy: "Your cat was poisoned??" "Yes. I believe it was my neighbor because he disliked my cat." "o.O Well, why didn't you do anything about it???" Oh geez, you're right. Now that you mention it I should have called the police. I should have called them and told them I believe that my neighbor poisoned my cat and even tough I have no proof, they ought to search his house and arrest him. He was just such a jerk about the whole thing, he was basically blaming me for my cat being poisoned. This was a painful memory in itself, and I don't need a morally superior stranger judging me for it. Finally, they never sent me the email to activate the free month of pet insurance even though I called them well over 15 times. My kitties get 5 stars, but the APA's help desk, BLAH. read more

I dont know if this place is in the business of adopting dogs or just jailing them because thats what it appeared like. I had absolutely noone stop to ask if i needed help or information. I came in and the girl behind the desk told me to sign in and shed be right with me. 5 minutes later her friend "working" there told her to come along with him ostensibly to do something but actually take care of a customer. Stood there while another two customers were helped first even though I was there first, obviously. So I stood there against the wall like a kid in school who is being punished. Finally the other girl asks if I've been helped?????? Um hello I've been standing five feet away from you. No I haven't been helped yet. Gives me the spiel and points to the direction should go to see the dogs. I let her know I'm already interested in several. "Write their names on this list and one of our Don't Cares (I don't know what they are really called) will show you them." Ok I'll just go outside and look around until they get to me. One hour goes by and guess what No One comes to find me to show me the dogs I came to see. Not only that but I was walked right by I don't know how many times without even being acknowledged usually. Once I actually did try to ask two girls a question as they went right by me without even blinking. It's obvious these people are there for the dog walking and what not and could care less about serving their customers. So I walk back in. Does anyone stop to see if I was ready to adopt a dog I still haven't seen. That's a big fat NO! Walk right on out. I sit down to start to write this review as I am that angry(fortunately I kept it in check long enough not to explode) Finally Celine(maybe) comes out to find me. Had I not sat down I would have not been helped at all. Still didn't see any of the dogs. She just typed their names in the computer and let me know their issues. But can I interact with any of them? Oh and why did I even show up? Because I tried emailing to get some info about an inmate with specific questions. And instead of answering my questions I get a prescripted response so I decided to waste 3 hours of my life. read more

Dishonesty doesn't work for me. They were honest about the agression issues with the dog we adopted and that is all good. We were able to work through it. However, they were not honest about her teeth. They said she "needed a good cleaning, but otherwise her teeth were in good shape". NOT TRUE! She had to have 9 teeth removed because they were rotten. I was able to see one in the front quite soon after we got her. For a dog that has emotional issues, as ours does, having to go in and have that many teeth taken out so soon was terrible. Thank goodness for her having an understanding vet. read more

***Please see update on my second post with resolution***Part 1 -i do not even know where to start with how horrible Austin Pets Alive is with care and handling of the animals at the Lady Bird Medical Clinic on Caesar Chavez. This is the second dog I adopted from APA and I actually thought I was adopting my puppy from a private home, but 2.5 weeks after having my puppy I was contacted by APA and being threatened that if I did not return my new puppy to APA, they would be sending The police to remove the animal from my home. I guess the private home I adopted from was actually fostering the mother of my puppy and took it upon themselves to find homes for the litter of puppies. APA was never mentioned while dealing with the "foster" home. I truly though she was the owner of the mother and just rejoining the puppies. After a stressful few days and dealing with APA, I was told I had to properly adopt my puppy through them, this included APA doing all of her vaccines, spay and micro chipping. Since the foster home could not show that the litter was properly vaccinated, APA made it mandatory for me to bring my in for vaccines. After 6 separate vaccine visits, all of which were very disorganized and done in my car, I thought my puppy was fully vaccinated. This wasn't just a thought, I specifically asked and was told yes, she is fully vaccinated. I even went to my vet and questioned if I should do another set of vaccines since APA was always so unorganized. My vet felt that due to the reputation of this shelter and doing 6 sets of vaccines, it would be highly unlikely they missed a vaccine. So, last Tuesday, I took her in for her spay. When I dropped my puppy off at the clinic she was extremely healthy, high energy and very love-able and playful. When I went to pick up my puppy after her procedure, they could not find her in the recovery area. After searching, they finally found her in with the parvo dogs. I was mortified, but they assured me since she was vaccinated and sleeping, she would be completely fine. Once we got home, she was being her normal self, but I kept thinking it was due the surgery. Each day she seemed to get a little better in the morning and then get worse at night. I was started to get concerned, but thought I was being a hypercritical dog owner. Then the vomiting and diarrhea started and it just got worse where she wasn't eating or drinking and barely moving. I immediately took her to my vet and she tested positive for Parvo. I was unprepared for that diagnosis and immediately reached out to APA, they can only be contacted by email. I received a response pretty quickly, but it was not the response I would have expected. It asked for me to send them the positive Parvo test, so they could confirm that she really had Parvo. I immediately sent them the results. I expecting to hear back quickly since this was a serious and like threatening virus, I mean they are a no kill shelter, saving a dogs life seems to be their main concern. Well, I was wrong about that. After 2 additional emails from them saying a manager would be contacting me I heard nothing else. At this point, my dog was in desperate need for Parvo treatment. So, I bit the bullet and paid to begin treatment. Thank god I have an amazing vet who worked with me on the initial cost. 20 hours later, yes, almost a full day later after spending the entire night treating my dog, I received an email saying they would like me to bring her in for an evaluation and they would hospitalize her at townlake. Still no phone call as promised, just an email. Well, at this point, I had to decide if taking my puppy back to their clinic was best for the situation and due to the rain, they were currently evacuating that shelter since is was going to flood. read more

I've been passing their set up on South Congress for a long time now, donating every time. The group goes to the Town Lake Animal Center and rescues the animals scheduled to be put down. They then work endlessly to find them homes. Last week's stroll past the stand had somewhat different results. I reached in my pocket to put money in the jar and then I looked over and saw this dog and I just knew. I played with him for a while and fell in love, but I didn't want to make any rash decisions. Over the week, I couldn't stop thinking about him. On Friday I adopted Dexter. And my life is better for it already. I have Austin Pets Alive to thank for all of this. They made the whole process easy and have been so helpful as far as getting any information I might need. I'd urge anyone to support them in any way that they possibly could, be it financially or by fostering a pet or adoption. They do really great work. read more

Was attacked last year by one of their recently adopted Pit/Staffordshire Terriers while walking my dog in the park. A recently adopted Pit that was labeled by APA as a "bolter", escaped from a yard near a popular park and playground in a suburban neighborhood and jumped onto the back of my 8 year old retriever. We were totally blind sided having not seen or heard the dog approaching at full speed behind us. Adrenaline pumping high, I managed to pull the pit off my retriever's neck. The Pit retaliated and jumped again catching the back leg of my dog in her teeth when she (my dog) was finally able to reach around and bite the Pit while I pulled the Pit off of her. As I lay there on the ground with blood all over my legs I struggled to get up and had help from an onlooker at the park. I immediately called the police while a passerby ran to her house to get a leash for the Pit. I quickly gave a police report, and checked the wounds on my dog as blood was pooling up on the sidewalk. My dog needed 15 stitches in her neck and another 12 on her leg as a result of the bites from the Pit. Heard from the officer later in the day and was given the owners phone number. She apologized profusely saying that the dog had escaped 2 other times in the last week and that they were forced to put up a series of 3 barriers in addition to a full wood fence to keep the Pit in the yard. We later found out through the owner that the pit had a long history of this behavior that was recorded by Austin Animal Control but not shared with her by APA upon the adoption of the Pit one month earlier. read more

I've found my bestfriend about 3 years ago now, and it was all thanks to the kind folks at austin pets alive. My pup was a rescue, when I saw him I knew it was love at first sight. The adoption process was so smooth, and within no time he was ready to come to his forever home. I can't thank you all more for checking up on us too, after the neuter procedure to make sure he was okay. You can really tell every one here gives all their love to their animals in house. It's very heartwarming. read more

Update after 2.25 yrs on the pit pull that was sold to us as a terrier mix. Pit bull found a dog loving home for sure. A perfect pit fit. Pit bulls are wonderful dogs. read more

Austin Pets Alive! - Pit bull. 2 dobies - Animal Shelters Near Me - Austin, Texas

To hear that this amazing place might need to find a new location because the building(s) have been condemned and neighbors don't want it there broke my heart. Please stop the madness! These people do amazing selfless work and they have a great dog walking program for volunteers in the area. I feel like preventing them in doing so is an excuse to have more festival area or some other inane and soulless reason. read more

My adoption experience with them was very positive. 2 years ago we adopted a kitten from them. Like others have said there was some pressure to take his litter mate too but they relented on it fairly quickly. Our cat is now a happy 2 year old adult who purrs like its his job. The animals are great and my experience adopting from the cattery was very pleasant. So why only 3 stars? Well it is primarily due to their fostering program. I signed up to help foster cats. I enjoy volunteer work and helping a kitty be comfortable while they wait for their forever home is a worthy investment (time, money, gas, etc). But the staff at the APA! make fostering for them a nightmare. The clinic staff are at best dismissive and at worst outright hostile. They carry such an air of superiority and treat you (who is donating your money, time, travel, etc) like you're just another problem. It has made me VERY hesitant to foster again because the way the staff treated me was just simply horrible. My other concern is the housing of the dogs. So you walk through a small building out to a courtyard to get to the cattery. The courtyard is full of tiny and disgusting smelling kennels. The endless barking, smell, and sheer chaos is enough to rattle a person let alone a scared pup. I understand running a nonprofit is tough but the dogs just don't look happy in their tiny cement prison cells that seem to reek of urine and feces. read more

This update is specifically for APA!'s medical team. They seriously take better care of the pets in their program than most people do of their beloved family members or themselves. As a Foster Mom I can call with any concern and can get advice or an appointment within a few hours or even immediately and they even have a 24 emergency hot-line. And I have mention how impressive it is that they do the majority of their work (all spay, neuters and checkup treatments) out of a trailer on S Lamar - Dr Jefferson also has use of the Vet on Austin Blvd for more intensive treatments. I often roll my eyes when they want me to bring my current foster Ms Gracie in. Once, when Gracie was at adoption site they wanted me to come pick her up and take her to the trailer immediately for a "skin scrape" - she has some scar tissue on her neck from old fight wounds. I explained that I was fully aware of her missing hair on her neck and it had not changed in the past month - they still wanted her to get tested to make sure it was not something "contagious to you or your dog" - I appreciate them taking my and my dog's health into consideration. This morning Ms Gracie woke up with some watery poop and vomiting. I called to see if there was anything I could give her - I was thinking more along the lines of yogurt, oatmeal, yams.. pepto so that I could go to work with out her diarrheaing and vomiting in her crate. Instead they insisted that I bring her by for some tests. I would NEVER take myself or my dog to the Doc for less than 3 hours of runny poo or vomiting!! But they wanted to rule out Parvo and did a fecal. The Vet Tech Sara hooked her up to an IV between her shoulders to "prevent dehydration" and we left with an arm-full of meds that we will probably never need - a syringe of anti-nausea, 5-10 days worth of anti-diarrhea, 5 days worth of dewormer, a syringe of Frontline and Ivermactin (Heartworm preventive). Gracie is doing fine and did not need any of the tummy trouble meds and I will not have to make another trip for her monthly Frontline and Heartworm preventive! APA! Rocks! On a seperate note APA! is working hard to make Austin a NO KILL city please join http://nokillaustin.org read more

Austin Pets Alive takes great care of their animals! I've come here several times to play with kittens and they are always kept in clean cages and cared for by the staff. The staff is also strict about the rules and is happy to answer any questions we have. They also have a great foster program which is how I got my first kitten Cheeto! It made everything very easy to communicate with the foster and adopt our cat. I recommend coming here to adopt your next pet. They have many sweet pets that need homes and they make the process easy. read more

This is a terrible establishment! I spoke to a terrible woman name Kate that refused to let me adopt a cat because my current cat likes to sit on my patio and told me that cats can't ever go outside. Their requirements are so ridiculous that most of there pets will end up dying before ever getting adopted read more

We adopted a kitten from them/ the process was so easy. Our little girl is so cute! She gets along great with our dog. They have a dedicated staff who care for a lot of animals, we were so happy to be able to adopt from them! read more

Austin Pets Alive! - Just chillin - Animal Shelters Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I can speak from experience about how wonderful this organization, because they saved my little furry brown baby, Sonny. Sonny was number one on the euthanasia list at Town Lake because he was found as a stray weighing a mere four pounds. He was coughing up blood, had bloody diarrhea, kennel cough, the flu, and multiple signs of the deadly disease parvo. Austin Pets Alive did not hesitate to take him under their loving wing, and placed him with the most wonderful foster puppy mama I have been blessed to meet. After testing him for parvo four times and having it come back negative, they were certain he would eventually restore to good health. I am happy to report that he currently weighs 10.5 pounds and is in excellent health according to our veterinarian. I feel forever indebted to Austin Pets Alive, and I have it arranged each month to where a certain amount is deducted from my bank account as a gift. I have been skeptical of charitable organizations in the past wondering where the money really goes, but with this organization there is so much love that I am fully confident that each dollar goes towards rescuing amazing animals. read more

If you're a first time pet owner, I recommend you look elsewhere. I adopted two kittens with ringworm. I was sent home with the meds and quarantined them in my bathroom. They assured they would answer any questions I had and the ringworm would be easily cleared up in two weeks. It's been five weeks and counting... I reached out a couple of times with questions about their health with photos and I never heard back from anyone. Very unhelpful and unwilling to answer any of my questions. I'm very grateful for my girls and would never give them away but I'm frustrated at the lack of help when it was promised over and over. In the future I will be telling friends and family to look at different shelters that have better communication. read more

I forwarded the email exchange as requested. I look forward to hearing back. Thank you for responding.